Printed for the use of the¿Colonial Office. December 15, 1898.
SECRET.
No. 201 R.
JAMAICA.
JAMAICA.
C.O.
No. 862. Secret.
Defence Scheme revised to January, 1898.
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:
Remarks by the Colonial Defence Committee.
THE present revision of the Defence Scheme leaves room for considerable improvement. Chapter I, dealing with strategic conditions, is generally correct, but the organization of the defence, dealt with in Chapters II and IV, is not workable. From Chapter II (page 9 (4), paragraph 1) it would appear as if there were seven independent commands, whereas, according to Chapter IV (pages 39 and 40), it is not clear whether there are three or four. Practically, the present Scheme still retains a. sectional organization, merely changing the titles of the Commanders, who are now called "Officer Commanding Port Royal Detachments" and "Officers Commanding Detachments in Western Harbour Forts;" in Chapter IV, such expressions occur as
section of the defence" and "section under your command.”
In accordance with the Colonial Defence Committee's recommendations contained in their Remarks, No. 186 R, dated the 17th August, 1897, the batteries should not be placed under the orders of the Officers Commanding the infantry detachments, but should be directly and solely under the Fire Commander. At present, the whole of the batteries are placed under this officer, but, at the same time, part are placed under one Commander of detachments and part under another. Such an arrangement can only lead to friction and loss of power.
The Colonial Defence Committee can see no reason why the organization should not be placed on a more satisfactory footing. The distribution of troops, given in Table B (i) on pages 11 and 12, is right, and allots the whole of the available infantry except the battalion of the West India Regiment to the Field Force. The battalion of the West India Regiment has its head-quarters and main body at Port Royal, and two strong detachments, one at Fort Clarence and one at Quarry Fort. The orders for the Officer Commanding the Field Force, as soon as this has been formed on mobilization, rightly come into Chapter IV. Nothing more is required in that Chapter, but in Chapter V the regimental orders of the Officer Commanding the Battalion of the West India Regiment should detail officers to command the two detachments from that regiment, and should specify their duties, together with the regimental arrauge- ments that would have to be made with regard to these troops, as well as those affecting the rest of the battalion. The Officers Commanding the infantry detach- ments should have nothing to do with making arrangements for other corps, such as are laid down in the orders to Officers Commanding detachments in Chapter IV of the present Scheme. These arrangements should be included in Chapter V, as orders to be issued by the Commanding Officers of those corps on mobilization, and in so far as they involve action by Staff and Departments should also be dealt with in Chapter III. A defect in the present Scheme is that the responsibility for taking the action it lays down is in some cases not clear, and in others placed on the wrong officers. Various instances of this will be noted in the following Remarks.
[1942]
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